When hiring trainers and assessors for seamless, high-quality training delivery, training providers should prioritise the following six aspects:

1.      Qualifications and Expertise: Ensure that candidates possess the necessary qualifications and expertise relevant to the training programs being offered. Look for individuals with a strong educational background, industry certifications, and practical experience in the subject matter.

2.     Teaching and Facilitation Skills: Evaluate candidates' ability to effectively convey information and engage learners. Look for individuals with excellent communication skills, the ability to adapt teaching methods to different learning styles, and experience in facilitating interactive and engaging training sessions. Conducting a microteach at 2^nd interview stage is often very beneficial.

3.      Assessment Skills: Assessors play a crucial role in evaluating learners' competency and providing constructive feedback. Look for candidates with experience in designing and conducting assessments, as well as the ability to provide fair and accurate evaluations that align with regulatory requirements and industry standards.

4.      Commitment to Continuous Improvement: Seek candidates who demonstrate a commitment to ongoing professional development and improvement. Look for individuals who stay updated on industry trends, attend relevant training workshops or conferences, and actively seek feedback to enhance their skills as trainers and assessors.

5.      Adherence to Quality Standards: Ensure that candidates are familiar with and committed to upholding quality standards and regulatory requirements relevant to the training & apprenticeship sector. Look for individuals who prioritise compliance, accuracy, and ethical conduct in their work.

6.      Cultural Fit and Values Alignment: Consider candidates' fit with the organisational culture and values of the training provider. Look for individuals who share your commitment to excellence, integrity, and learner success, and who will contribute positively to the overall training environment. This is often an area that doesn’t get enough visibility but is crucial to ensuring a good hire!

By focusing on these key aspects when hiring trainers and assessors, training providers can build a team of dedicated professionals who are equipped to deliver high-quality training experiences and drive positive outcomes for learners.

To explore things further feel free to reach out to www.nationalskillsagency.co.uk or call 020 3953 1984

Nurturing Tomorrow's Talent: The Case for Career Changers to Embrace Training and Coaching Roles ????‍????

Spencer Mehlman, Managing Director at National Skills Agency, explores how transitioning into training and coaching presents a rewarding new career direction for those seeking purpose.

With escalating demand in the skills development market, it allows professionals to impart their knowledge to shape aspiring talent while enjoying continual learning, camaraderie, and promising prospects.

https://www.fenews.co.uk/exclusive/nurturing-tomorrows-talent-the-case-for-career-changers-to-embrace-training-and-coaching-roles/

In recent years, the United Kingdom has witnessed a seismic shift in its educational landscape, fueled by the rapid advancement of technology. The emergence of EdTech (Educational Technology) has revolutionized learning methodologies, making education more accessible, personalized, and interactive. This transformative wave has not only altered the way students learn but has also brought about an unprecedented growth trajectory for the EdTech industry in the UK.

Several key factors contribute to the burgeoning growth of EdTech in the UK. Firstly, technology in modern society has necessitated an evolution in educational approaches. With an increasing reliance on digital tools, there's a growing demand for innovative, tech-driven solutions that enhance the learning experience. The pandemic further accelerated this trend, prompting a widespread adoption of online learning, thus propelling the EdTech sector to the forefront of education.

Additionally, the UK's robust educational infrastructure and its commitment to fostering innovation have created a conducive environment for EdTech startups and established companies alike. Universities, research institutions, and government initiatives have been instrumental in fostering a culture of innovation and providing the necessary support for EdTech ventures to thrive.

Amidst this dynamic landscape, the National Skills Agency has emerged as a pivotal player, offering specialist recruitment services crucial for the sustained growth of EdTech companies. As a leading recruiter, the National Skills Agency understands the unique requirements of the EdTech sector, comprehensively catering to the recruitment needs across various domains within these companies.

One of the agency's primary roles is facilitating the acquisition of top-tier talent in roles crucial to the success of EdTech firms. From data analytics to product development, sales, marketing, and curriculum design, the National Skills Agency excels in identifying and securing individuals equipped with the specialist skill sets demanded by the industry.

For instance, in the realm of data analytics, where insights gleaned from student interactions drive personalized learning experiences, the agency's expertise in identifying data-savvy professionals is unparalleled. Similarly, in product development, where innovation is paramount, the agency's knack for sourcing visionary minds capable of ideating and executing groundbreaking solutions is a significant asset for EdTech companies.

Moreover, the National Skills Agency's dedicated efforts in connecting qualified individuals with roles in sales, marketing, and curriculum design have been instrumental in fostering the growth of EdTech companies by ensuring a well-rounded team capable of not only creating exceptional products but also effectively bringing them to market.

For those seeking opportunities or talent within the thriving EdTech sector, the National Skills Agency's comprehensive platform offers a gateway. Interested individuals can explore the diverse array of roles available in the EdTech industry through the agency's user-friendly jobs section, connecting aspirations with opportunities that drive innovation and education forward.

To discover more about the National Skills Agency and explore the plethora of roles available in the UK's burgeoning EdTech industry, visit NSA and navigate to the jobs section jobs

In conclusion, the exponential growth of EdTech in the UK is propelled by a confluence of factors, and the National Skills Agency stands as a linchpin in nurturing this growth by facilitating the recruitment of adept professionals across critical domains, ensuring the continued success and innovation within the EdTech ecosystem.

Why Use a Specialist Recruiter in Apprenticeships & Training

The landscape of apprenticeships and training is intricate, requiring a nuanced understanding of industry standards, evolving regulations, and specific role requirements. Utilizing a specialist recruiter like the National Skills Agency can significantly enhance your hiring process for roles such as Assessors, Trainers, Quality Managers, and Business Developers. Here are some of the key benefits:

1. Industry Expertise

Specialist recruiters possess in-depth knowledge of the apprenticeship sector. At the National Skills Agency, we stay abreast of industry regulations, trends, and the specific needs of various training organizations. This expertise allows us to:

• Identify Key Skills: Quickly identify candidates with the right qualifications and experience.
• Navigate Regulations: Understand and navigate the complex regulations governing apprenticeships, ensuring compliance.
• Adapt to Trends: Provide candidates who are not only skilled but also adaptable to emerging trends and technologies in the training sector.

2. Access to a Niche Talent Pool

Our extensive networks and dedicated databases mean we have access to a targeted pool of talent often hidden from general recruitment methods. This niche access allows us to:

• Tap Hidden Talent: Reach candidates who are not actively looking but are ideal for your roles.
• Leverage Networks: Utilize our industry contacts to find top-tier candidates quickly and efficiently.

3. Understanding of Apprenticeship Standards

The National Skills Agency's recruiters are well-versed in the intricacies of apprenticeship standards, assessment processes, and training requirements. This specialized knowledge ensures:

• Precise Matching: Candidates are thoroughly vetted to meet the specific standards required for apprenticeship roles.
• Informed Selection: Our understanding of the sector's unique aspects allows for more informed candidate selection, reducing the risk of hiring mismatches.

4. Efficient Screening and Matching

With our robust industry knowledge, we streamline the screening process, presenting only the most suitable candidates. This efficiency translates to:

• Time Savings: Quicker identification of qualified candidates reduces time-to-hire.
• Quality Assurance: Candidates who pass our screening are highly likely to succeed in their roles.

5. Quality over Quantity

Our focus is on quality rather than quantity, ensuring that each candidate is not only technically proficient but also a good cultural fit for your organization. This approach:

• Enhances Retention: Candidates aligned with your values and goals are more likely to stay long-term.
• Improves Performance: Quality hires typically perform better and contribute more to the organization's success.

6. Faster Time-to-Hire

The specialized nature of our recruitment process means we can identify potential candidates more rapidly. Constant dialogue with professionals in the sector ensures:

• Quick Turnaround: Faster placement of candidates in critical roles.
• Immediate Availability: A pool of pre-screened candidates ready for immediate consideration.

7. Industry Insights

Our team provides valuable insights into market trends, salary expectations, and competitor activities. These insights help you:

• Stay Competitive: Adjust your offers and strategies to stay ahead in the talent market.
• Make Informed Decisions: Base your hiring decisions on current, relevant market data.

8. Reduced Recruitment Costs

By focusing on targeted recruitment and quality hires, we help reduce overall recruitment costs. This efficiency results in:

• Lower Turnover: Higher retention rates mean less frequent recruiting.
• Cost Savings: Reduced time-to-hire and better candidate matches decrease overall recruitment expenses.

9. Reputation and Trust

Partnering with a reputable specialist recruiter like the National Skills Agency enhances your organization's reputation. It demonstrates:

• Commitment to Quality: A commitment to finding top-quality staff who understand the industry's unique demands.
• Professionalism: Alignment with a trusted name in apprenticeship recruitment signals professionalism and reliability.

Conclusion

Engaging a specialist recruiter such as the National Skills Agency for your apprenticeship sector hiring needs can save you time, improve the quality of your hires, and contribute to the overall success of your programs and business development efforts. Our industry expertise, access to niche talent, and efficient processes ensure that you find the best candidates who are perfectly suited for your roles.

For an informal exploratory chat, reach out to: Spencer Mehlman
Managing Director, National Skills Agency
T: 020 3953 1984
spencer@nationalskillsagency.co.uk

Why use a specialist recruiter?

Using the National Skills Agency as your apprenticeship sector specialist recruiter to find key hires such as Assessors, Trainers, Quality Managers and Business Developers will offer a raft of valuable advantages.

Here are just some of those key benefits:

Industry Expertise: We have in-depth knowledge of the apprenticeship sector, including its regulations, trends, and specific needs. This expertise allows us to identify candidates with the right skills and experience for the roles.

Access to a Niche Talent Pool: Our established networks and databases of candidates gives us a unique reach into our busy market. We can tap into a targeted talent pool that if often hidden to general recruitment methods.

Understanding of Apprenticeship Standards: Our team of specialist recruiters understand the intricacies of apprenticeship standards, assessment processes, and training requirements. This ensures they can identify candidates who are well-versed in the unique aspects of the apprenticeship sector.

Efficient Screening and Matching: With strong industry knowledge, we can efficiently screen candidates, ensuring that only those who meet the necessary criteria and have a genuine interest in apprenticeships are presented to you.

Quality over Quantity: The focus is on quality over quantity. We are to prioritise candidates who are not only technically qualified but also aligned to the values, and goals of your organisation.

Faster Time-to-Hire: The specialised nature of our search means we can identify potential candidates more quickly, reducing the time it takes to fill critical roles. We are constantly in dialogue with candidates across all aspects of our sector.

Industry Insights: The team can provide valuable insights into current market trends, salary expectations, and competitor activities, helping you make informed decisions during the hiring process.

Reduced Recruitment Costs: We have a sensible fee’s associated with our services, and our targeted approach will lead to quicker and hopefully more robust long term hires, potentially reducing the overall cost of recruitment.

Reputation and Trust: Working with a reputable specialist recruiter in the apprenticeship sector can enhance your organisation's reputation as it demonstrates a commitment to finding top-quality staff who understand the unique demands of the industry.

Overall, using a specialist recruiter such as the National Skills Agency with expertise in the apprenticeship sector can save you time, improve the quality of your hires, and contribute to the overall success of your apprenticeship programs and business development efforts.

To have an informal exploratory chat reach out to:

Spencer Mehlman

Managing Director

National Skills Agency

T- 020 3953 1984

M- 07775 805714

spencer@nationalskillsagency.co.uk

Recruiting great salespeople is a crucial part of any business. Here are some tips to help you recruit the best salespeople for your company:

1. Recruit all the time: Recruiting top talent won’t happen overnight, which means it needs to be an ongoing process. You should always be on the lookout for top talent, even if you don’t have an open position.
2. Create a referral program: You should be incentivizing your current salespeople to always be on the lookout for top talent. This can be done by creating a referral program that rewards employees for bringing in new hires.
3. Use sales assessments: It’s not easy to be successful in sales. Using sales assessments can help you identify candidates who have the right skills and personality traits to succeed in sales.
4. Focus on fit: When recruiting salespeople, it’s important to focus on fit. You want to find candidates who fit in with your company culture and who share your values.
5. Put them to the test: Salespeople need to be able to sell. Putting candidates to the test can help you identify those who have the skills to succeed.
6. Work with a specialist recruitment agency: If you’re having trouble finding the right candidates. They can help you find top talent and streamline the recruitment process.

These tips can help you recruit great salespeople who will help your business grow and succeed.

When top sales people come along don’t let them pass, find a way to integrate them into you company and they will generate business!

Talk to the National Skills Agency about Businesses developers across training and apprenticeships… 020 3953 1984

Good luck!

The importance of recruiting the best possible staff....

Recruiting the best possible staff is an essential factor in the success of any organization. In today's highly competitive business world, it is imperative to have a skilled and talented workforce that can help an organization achieve its goals and objectives. The value of recruiting the best possible staff cannot be overstated, as it can have a profound impact on an organization's productivity, profitability, and reputation. The Apprenticeship and training sector must aim to do this to ensure that those going through programmes have the best possible experience.

One of the key benefits of recruiting the best possible staff is that they bring valuable skills and experience to the organization. Skilled and experienced employees have a wealth of knowledge that can be leveraged to improve business processes, streamline operations, and drive innovation. They are more likely to have a track record of success in their respective fields, which can help boost the organization's overall performance.

Another important benefit of recruiting the best possible staff is that it can improve employee morale and job satisfaction. Employees who feel valued and appreciated are more likely to be motivated, productive, and engaged in their work. When an organization invests in recruiting the best possible staff, it sends a message that it values its employees and is committed to their success. This can help create a positive work culture and reduce employee turnover.

Recruiting the best possible staff can also help an organization stay competitive in the marketplace. In today's fast-paced business environment, companies that fail to attract and retain top talent are at a disadvantage. By recruiting the best possible staff, organizations can ensure that they have the skills and expertise necessary to compete effectively in their industry. This can help them stay ahead of the curve and respond quickly to changes in the marketplace.

Moreover, hiring the best possible staff can improve an organization's reputation. When an organization has a skilled and talented workforce, it is more likely to be viewed as a reputable and trustworthy company. This can help attract new customers and clients, as well as retain existing ones. It can also help attract investors and business partners, who are more likely to be interested in working with a company that has a strong reputation for success.

However, recruiting the best possible staff can be challenging and time-consuming. It requires a thorough recruitment process, which includes advertising job vacancies, screening resumes, conducting interviews, and checking references. It also requires an investment in training and development programs to help new hires develop the skills they need to succeed in their roles.

In conclusion, recruiting the best possible staff is an essential factor in the success of any organization. Skilled and experienced employees can bring valuable knowledge and expertise to the organization, improve employee morale and job satisfaction, help an organization stay competitive in the marketplace, and improve its reputation. However, it requires a significant investment of time and resources to recruit, train, and retain top talent. Organizations that are willing to make this investment are more likely to achieve long-term success and sustainability. Call the National Skills Agency team to chat through your requirements: 020 3953 1983

To see our full list of roles available please look at https://www.nationalskillsagency.co.uk/job-search/browse/education/jobs

Check out some of or other blogs! - https://www.nationalskillsagency.co.uk/blog/blog/recruiting-great-sales-people or click here to send us your vacancies

The College Staff Crisis

Here are the headline findings from an Association of Colleges report.

There are currently 3,293 vacancies being reported from the 48% of colleges which responded. This is within the context of 105,000 FTE roles within the sector as a whole

A mean of 30 vacancies per college was reported with a maximum of 162 for one college

1404 vacancies were reported in curriculum, with high levels of persistent vacancies in construction, engineering, health and social care and science and maths

1853 vacancies in support areas, with high levels of persistent vacancies in learning support roles, student services and facilities and estates roles.

96% of respondents report that the current level of vacancies is creating increased pressure on existing staff, 61% said that vacancies were have a significant impact on agency fees

Here at NSA helping you to recruit & retain great talent within the FE & Apprenticeship Market is our only mission.

We all know the last couple of years has been a roller coaster of emotions which has seen employers and candidates reconsider the work life balance and how it is rewarded. Recruiting assessors, coaches and tutors is causing our industry real frustration.

Lots of training providers shed staff as the pandemic caused uncertainty and panic. Those that were furloughed got to experience more time at home with no work pressures and this has led to many rethinking what they want out of life, this has now translated into a much tougher working wish list for candidates.

As the specialist recruiter in Apprenticeship and Training we have seen these changes first-hand. The current market is certainly candidate led, there is a real battle for talent and a shortage of good people across the sector.

We have put together some key points for colleges and training providers to consider.

Start the process as early as possible, be ahead of the game

Be as flexible as you can re hybrid or remote working

Put together a detailed spec ensuring it outlines all the benefits, the culture, targets, etc

Check out Glass Door- it is worth seeing how your organisation is perceived

Try to make the interview process as short as possible. When the process stretches to 3 or 4 interviews, or the time frame drags into 3-4 weeks you are very likely to lose the candidate!

In the current market candidates often have 2-3 interviews underway and may have several offers to choose from. If you take too long or make the process to painful the chances, are you will be starting the hiring process again

Ensure your salaries and benefits are in line with the market, there is still quite a lot of disparity. Those who are paying at the lower end of the market are seeing a steady stream of resignations and this is holding back their growth plans

If you make an offer, get the paperwork/email out ASAP

Cultural fit is important - can they meet team members and get a tour of the office

Retaining your people is also key. Losing a talented team member causes more than just a vacancy. It takes time and energy to replace them. Often their workload is shared by the existing team before a new person is fully up to speed. This can affect the general morale and sets the wrong tone. Their loss can also impact client relationships and have bigger implications if the transition isn’t as seamless as possible.

A few thoughts on retention but worth re-iterating:

Regular reviews

Sensible targets

Team events

Recognise employee’s hard work

Upgrade your equipment where possible

Flexible approach to working schedules

Professional development opportunities

Promote from within if possible

Good communication and collaboration

Our sector is in a unique and influential position to help the UK economy. Remote delivery has enabled training and coaching to continue throughout the pandemic giving greater flexibility to all parties. 

There are skills shortages right across the UK that can only be addressed through the effective use of apprenticeships and training. We have an opportunity to embed this learning culture into all businesses and this starts with all of us in the sector hiring and motivating the best people to share and deliver this agenda.

It is worth noting that NSA has access to candidates that are very much under the radar and not visible to other organisations due to our own bespoke database of 15,000+ candidates and a team with over 100,000 LinkedIn connections. 

Areas of specialism include:

Apprenticeship Directors / Managers

Business Development Directors / Managers 

Assessors, Coaches, Lecturers, Trainers

Careers Advisors / Employability specialists

Operations

Curriculum, Project & Programme Managers

MIS / Compliance / Data / Quality / Funding

Contact: spencer@nationalskillsagency.co.uk 020 3953 1984

The National Skills Agency is the UK’s specialist recruiter for the Apprenticeship, Training & Awarding marketplace. Our expert consultants have over 40 years combined experience in this key sector and a reputation for delivering meaningful results.

https://www.nationalskillsagency.co.uk/job-search

Check out our assessor roles!